Thursday, November 14, 2019

REVIEW 745: UNDER WORLD

Release
date:

Kerala: November 1, 2019

Delhi: November 8, 2019

Director:

Arun
Kumar Aravind

Cast:

Language:

Asif Ali, Farhan Faasil, Mukesh, Lal Jr,
Samyuktha Menon, Muthumani

Malayalam

Under World’s keenness to be grand and imposing screams
out of every cell of its being. It manifests itself in the grandiose lines its
characters utter and the angles the cinematographer favours while shooting
them. In the end though, the film is as empty as the character played by
Mukesh, a septuagenarian politician in jail on corruption charges and from
whose words it appears that he is in control of the world he left behind: his
ultimate fate proves that he is, in truth, an all-bombast-no-intelligence kind
of fellow. Like Under World itself,
he amounts to nothing.

Asif Ali here stars as Stalin John, a hooligan and a petty
criminal with an inflated sense of self-importance. Farhaan
Faasil is Majeed Abdul Rahman, a ruffian for hire. The
two end up in the same jail where Mukesh’s Padmanabhan Nair is lodged.
Initially, they clash but soon become unlikely allies primed for an assignment
from Nair. Lal Jr is Solomon, in whose custody Nair left the Rs 500 crore he
filched for which he lost his freedom.

Apart from some atmospheric background music and one slickly
executed mobike chase, Under World has little going for it. Ali, Faasil and Mukesh are earnest, but
the writing of their characters is too superficial for them to make a lasting
impact. So sketchy are they that you deserve a prize if you can make out why
Stalin’s lawyer Padmavati (played by Muthumani) cares so much for him.

For
the record, Padmavati is the
only woman with a notable presence in this narrative. The charismatic Samyuktha Menon from Theevandi is criminally wasted here in a minuscule role.

There are a few seconds here and there when it feels like Under World may perhaps lift itself out
of its ordinariness to become something more than a waste of time. Such as when
a fugitive loses his mother who he loves and realises that the mere act of
attending her funeral is a risk. Or earlier when he sits negotiating with a
young woman who becomes collateral damage in a cheque bouncing case against
him. Or in the otherwise unscrupulous Solomon’s affection for his wife and
child.

Writer
Shibin Francis does not have the depth to flesh out these thoughts though. The
only nice thing that can be said about the writing is that Under World is not sickening, crude and prejudiced like other
recent films of this genre such as The Great Father starring Mammootty, Mikhael
starring Nivin Pauly and Kalki starring Tovino Thomas.

Even
the one instance when it tries to shock with its violence is almost laughable
because of the rubbery look of the severed supposed human limb shown on camera. When Solomon chops off a man’s
hand in Stalin and Majeed’s presence, we are given not one, not two, not three
but four close-ups of that hand (correct me if there are more), in addition to
other shots. Again in the name of realism I suppose, earlier when a companion of
Majeed throws up after drinking, the camera stands bang in front of him, giving
us a clear view of the puke emerging from his mouth and his vomit-covered
tongue. Uff.

These
instances of pretentiousness suggest that the single genuinely memorable moment
in Under World happened by accident.
When a policeman commits an act of unspeakable violence against an
important character about half way through the film, instead of moving near
plus embellishing the sound design to underline what we are witnessing, the
audio chooses not to be exploitative, the camera moves away and we are
given a distant overhead shot as a man steps on another’s spine and a torso
caves in. It is a moment that made me freeze with horror
yet did not feel voyeuristic.

The
rest of Under World shows a complete
lack of imagination and implies a desire on Arun Kumar
Aravind’s part to join the club of masala directors to which Haneef
Adeni belongs. Even the title is unimaginative, and the random splitting of the
word looks like a last-ditch effort to salvage it. Call it Under World or Underworld
if you will, either way it is under-done.

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About Me

Anna MM Vetticad is an award-winning journalist, journalism teacher and author of the critically acclaimed bestseller The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic, an overview of the Hindi film industry presented through an account of a year in which she watched every single Bollywood film released in India’s National Capital Region. A journalist since 1994, she has worked with India Today, The Indian Express and Headlines Today. At HT she hosted her own interview show Star Trek which drew all India’s eminent entertainment personalities. While Anna has spent most of her career as a behind-the-scenes editorial person, she has also reported on most major Indian entertainment and lifestyle events and several international ones including Cannes and the Oscars, in addition to being the film critic for Headlines Today. She is currently reporting and writing for multiple publications on cinema and social issues with a focus on gender concerns. The Adventures of an Intrepid Film Critic is available on amazon.com, ebay.in, flipkart.com, ombooksinternational.com, ombooks.com, infibeam.com, homeshop18.com and dialabook.in among other websites, and in stores across India. Twitter: @annavetticad